Creating sustainable opportunities for girls through partnership with Sahara Group Foundation
The partnership integrates climate action, economic empowerment, and gender inclusion to create sustainable opportunities for communities and adolescent girls
27 January 2026Plan International Nigeria has signed a Strategic Partnership Memorandum of Understanding with Sahara Group Foundation to strengthen inclusive, community-led recycling initiatives through the Sahara Go Recycling Project.
The partnership shows Plan International Nigeria’s commitment to supporting girls and young people to build better futures while caring for the environment. By combining Plan International Nigeria’s experience working closely with communities and empowering young people, especially girls, with Sahara Group Foundation’s waste-to-wealth approach, the partnership will set up 6 community recycling hubs across Kano, Jigawa, Sokoto, and Benue States.
These hubs will address 2 major challenges at the same time: the growing problem of waste in communities and the lack of jobs and income opportunities for young people, particularly girls. By helping girls and young people learn practical skills and earn money through recycling, the initiative creates new opportunities for them to take part in environmentally friendly work and build dignified livelihoods.
Advancing climate action that works for communities
The Sahara Go Recycling Project shows how recycling can help protect the environment while also helping people earn a living. Through this partnership, caring for the environment is directly linked to helping communities grow stronger, teaching practical skills, and creating ways for families to earn income. This means that actions to protect the climate also bring real benefits to people in their everyday lives.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Dr Charles Usie, Country Director of Plan International Nigeria, said “This partnership speaks directly to the kind of future we want to build for girls and their communities. When environmental action is intentionally designed to create livelihood, dignity, and economic empowerment, girls are better positioned to learn, build skills, and contribute meaningfully to their families and communities. We are excited to work with Sahara Group Foundation to ensure that initiatives like Sahara Go Recycling translate climate responsibility into real action, creating opportunities that enable girls to build skills, and a more secure future.”
“This partnership speaks directly to the kind of future we want to build for girls and their communities. When environmental action is intentionally designed to create livelihood, dignity, and economic empowerment, girls are better positioned to learn, build skills, and contribute meaningfully to their families and communities.”
Charles Usie, Country Director, Nigeria
Placing girls at the centre of green opportunities
Girls are at the heart of this partnership. At least 60% of participants will be adolescent girls, helping ensure they are included in new opportunities linked to environmentally friendly work. The initiative supports girls and young people to take part safely in recycling activities, learn practical skills, and earn income within spaces designed to support and protect them.
By putting strong safeguarding measures in place and being clear about how the work is carried out, the partnership reinforces Plan International Nigeria’s commitment to keeping girls and young people safe, respected, and supported as they take part in activities that benefit both their communities and the environment.
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